Method of spinning cotton or other fibers.



No."778,603. PATENTED DEC. 27, 1904. W. A. PHILLIPS & F. HUTCHINS.

METHOD OF SPINNING-COTTON OR OTHER FIBERS.

APPLICATION FILED 11313.23, 1904.

5 SHEETSSHEET 1.

11$ 25 W1. W T' 1 25 i f/ 27 No. 778.608. I PATENTED DEC. 2'7, 190%.

A. PHILLIPS & P. HUTGHINS.

METHOD 0? SPINNING COTTON OR OTHER FIBERS.

APPLICATION FILED P3123, 1904.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

No. 778,603. I PATENTED DEC. 27, 1904. W. A, PHILLIPS & F. HUTGHINS.METHOD OF SPINNING COTTON OR OTHER FIBERS,

APPLICATION FILED $313.23. 1904.

5 SHEETS-SHEET a.

No. 778.603. PATENTED DEC. 2'7, 1904. W. A. PHILLIPS & I. HUTOHINSMETHOD OF SPINNING COTTON OR OTHER FIBERS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB.23,1904

5 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

6 6253 IZWF/ZZ/U MAI/ I 1 7%,

1 No. 778,608. PATENTED DEC. 27, 1904.

W. A. PHILLIPS & F. HUTGHINS.

METHOD OF SPINNING COTTON OR OTHER FIBERS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 23. 1904.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

UNITED STATES Patented December 27, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

IVILLIAM ALFRED PHILLIPS AND FREDERICK HUTOHINS, OF LONDON, ENGLAND;SAID PHILLIPS ASSIGNOR TO SAID HUTCHINS.

METHOD OF SPINNING COTTON OR OTHER FIBERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 778,603, dated December27, 1904. Application filed February 23, 1904. Serial No. 194,863.

To (LZZ whom it warty concern.-

Be it known that we, WILLIAM ALFRED PHILLIPS and FREDERICK HUTOHINS,electrical engineers, subjects of the King of Great Britain, residing at185 Oxford street, London, England, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Methods of Spinning Cotton or other Fibers, of which thefollowing is a specification.

The invention relates to the spinning of cotton or other fiber or ofcotton and other fibers in admixture.

The fiber to be spun is supplied or fed in an essentially untwisted orunspun state to a tubular channel, where it is brought within theinfluence of an exhaust or induced current of air, by which the fibersare conveyed to and around the spinning-point. This spinning-point isadjacent to a central hole in a rapidly-rotating surface of wire-gauzeor other reticulate material covering a revolving chamber in which apartial vacuum is created by a centrifugal air-wheel or by othersuitable means of exhaust which may be common to a number of spinningmeans. The first aggregation of the fibers rapidly floating around thecentral hole is brought into a spun line by means of a leading threadcenter or core caused to be drawn through such central opening, and thenthe fibers in succession become spun into a yarn or thread, and as thisis drawn away the current of air supplies and spins fresh fibers robbedfrom the roving to continue the thread.

In carrying out our invention we have constructed an apparatus such asis shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a verticalelevation of the spindle bearing and cover. Fig. 2 is a plan thereof.Fig. 3 is avertical section drawn through the line B F in Fig. 4, whichfigure is a horizontal section taken through the line C D in Fig. 1.Figs. 5 and 6 are respectively an elevation and a plan of the spindle.Fig. 7 is a vertical elevation drawn through the line A B in Fig. 8,which latter figure is a front elevation. Fig. 9 is avertical sectionaldiagram through the spindle-cover, the spindle being shown in elevation.Fig. 10 is a horizontal sectional diagram through the line G H in Fig.9, except that the spindle is shown in plan and not in section. Fig.llisadiagrammatic perspective view of the spindle-head, showing thegauze top. Figs. 12 and 13 are sectional diagrams of the parts adjacentto the point where the spinning occurs.

These diagrammatic figures are intended to make clearer the path takenby the stream of fibers, as shown by the dotted line. The path taken bythe air is practically the same as that taken by the fibers, except thatsome of the air passes through the holes 35 in the outer ring of thespindle on its way to the gauze, as indicated by the arrow in Fig. 9.Owing to the speed of relative rotation of ring and fibers, none of thefibers, however, pass through these holes in the outer ring. As a resultof the air passing through these holes the fibers of cotton or othermaterial in use are attracted to the surface of the outer ring, and theedges of the holes tend to separate any fibers which might otherwisecling together. The spindle rotates at an enormously rapid speed, andthe edges of the holes have, as it were, a parallelizing loosening andbeating action upon the fibers. The result of the draft of air, combinedwith the rotation of the spindle, is the production of a kind of vortexwhich impels the fibers toward the central hole in the gauze, asindicated by the dotted line 60. In Fig. 12 the dottcdline represents asingle fiber the leading end of which has just reached the point wherethe spinning of the fibers into a yarn takes place. The air-vortexcauses this fiber to be spun round, so that it is made to formitselfspirally into a continuation of the yarn if the previously-formedportion is drawn down at the same time, as shown in Fig. 13. A constantstream of fibers will of course give a continuous yarn, and ifproducedyarn is properly drawn away there will always be a little tailof fibers just above the hole in the gauze, as shown in the enlargedviews, Figs. 12 and 13, and the fresh fibers are continuously buildingthemselves up at this point, and so forming more yarn. Two sets ofsprings are provided, each set consisting of strips of flat steel. Thefunction of the springs 4 1, which l are fixtures at their opposite endsto a crutch aflixed to the tube t2, is to support the formed yarnagainst the twisting action of the rotating springs L1, which springsserve to press upon and consolidate the yarn. \Vhile it is quitepossible to obtain a yarn without the pressing-spring, it would be veryloose in condition, the power of the air-vortex not being in itselfsul'ficientto spin the fibers tightly enough round themselves so as toforma solid yarn.

The machine is for convenience of the drawings shown arranged for twospindles only. The machine has two standards a, only one of which. isshown, and a supplementary standard 6.

c is the main shaft, driving the machine by means of fast and loosepulleys (Z (a.

fis adrum for driving the spindles. A worm g on the main shaft 0 drivesa worm-wheel 7L, spindle i, bevel-wheelsj/r, the latter driving by chainZ the sprocket-wheels m 49.. The sprocket-wheel m is fixed on a spindle0, having a worm driving a worm-wheel p. The latter is on the samespindleas the cam g, which operates the pin 9 in a sliding shaft 5,which pin '1' is kept to its work in contact with the said cam by achain zfpassing over a pulley u and drawn upon by a weight 2;. The shaft3 carries guide-pulleys to, one for each spindle, thereby givingtransverse motion.

In Fig. 8 the left-hand spindle is shown in elevation. The right-handportion shows the gearing between the pull-off shaft 1 and thedrawing-rollers. This shaft carries a roller 2, against which a bobbin 5is pressed by a spring 8. Between 5 and 2 is an endless band 9, passingover two loose pulleys 9 and 10, thereby driving pulley 11, and agearwheel fastened to that pulley in turn drives suitable gearing inconnection with the drawing-rollers 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17. 18 is abobbin of fibrous material, the roving from which passes through therollers, as more clearly seen in Figs. 1 and 2. The drawingrollers maybe of the usual kind employed in existing spinning1nachines. In Fig. 7the front top rollers are shown weighted by means of two links 19 19with two levers 20 and a weight 21. 22 23 are clearing-rollers. 2a is abox-girder extending right across the machine and carrying the spindles.The retating spindles are carried in bearings 25, which are secured inthe box-girder 24: by a washer 26 and nut 27. The interior of the box24. is connected by a pipe 28 (see Fig. 8) with a vacuum-fan. (Notshown.) The spindle 32 is driven by a pulley 29 from the drum f by meansof a band 30, which band passes over two loose pulleys 31. The spindleconsists of a hollow tube 32, having a head provided with two concentricrings 33 3a, the latter having a series of holes 35. The bottom of thespindle-head has a ring of holes 36, so that the partial vacuum in thebox 24: causes air to pass down through the holes 36 into the circularchannel 37 and through the ring of holes 38. The inner ring 33 isprovided with a gauze top or cover 39, having a hole in the center 40,which may conveniently be formed with an eyelet. Immediately be low thegauze are two fiat springs M, rotating with the spindle lnside thehollow spindle is a tube 42, held by the bracket et3, so as not torotate, and provided at the top with two flatsprings 41, similar tothesprings e1. Surrounding the spindle-head is a fixed tubular casing45, as shown in Figs. 1, 3, and 4, having an o 'iening at. The casing 15is closed at the top by a closing-piece dropped into the tube, whichpiece has, as shown, a fiat bottom 47 without a hole in the center; butthis bottom plate may have a hole or may be coned or domed or beprovided with a .blunt projection, shaped somewhat as a tea-t orotherwise be given a form around which the vortex may be generated andthe spinning into a yarn promoted.

In operation the sliver or roving of fiber, such as cotton, is conveyedto the deliveryrollers with a certain amount of draft arranged to begiven to the roving in its passage between them, if so desired, and fromthese delivery-rollers the end of the roving is carried past the outerwall, with its perforations forming the exterior of the spindle-head, orit might be a roller whose periphery is adapted to give a certain amountof beating andseparating action to aid the air-current induced by thevacuum in drawing the fibers away from the roving in a loose stream.This revolving head is inclosed in a casing to protect the fibers fromextraneous influences and guide them into proximity to the edges of theopenings in the outer wall 34:, and the casing forms a channel which,becoming constricted, causes the flow of the air-borne fibers in astream to the wiregauze cover and around and down through the centralopening in the rapidlyrotating head to receive aspiral twist andinterlocking with the yarn in course of formation and removal throughthe fixed inner tube. The cover to this casing is, as stated, so shapedas to give the greatest aid possible to the rapid revolution of thefibers at the spinning-point.

The materials spun may be cotton, silk, (such as Wild or waste silk,)rabbits wool, or other comparatively short fibers.

It should be stated that at the inception of the process the fibers arespun about a leading thread center or core which may be drawn throughthe spindle in any desirable way. After the removal of the said corefrom the vortex created in the manner hereinbe'fore described the fibersare formed or spun into the requisite form by the vertex of air.

Although we have particularly described the use of an induced currentfor the conveyance of fibers, a current of forced air or a currentattained by impulsion and induction may be used.

\Ve claim 1. A method of spinning which consists in the creation of avortex of air, and the drawing of fibers into said vortex to cause theassociation of such fibers by the vortex.

2. A method of spinning, which consists in the creation of a vortex ofair, and the drawing of fibers solely by air-currents into the vortex tocause the association of the fibers into yarn by the action of suchvortex.

3. A method of spinning which consists in the creation of a vortex ofair and the drawing of fibers into the vortex to cause the associationof such fibers into yarn by such vortex, and'then compacting the yarn.

4. A method of spinning, which consists in the creation of a vortex ofair and the draw- WILLIAM ALFRED PHILLIPS. FREDERICK HUTOHINS.

Witnesses:

JOHN CooDE HARE, ERNEST JOHN HILL.

